1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an array substrate and a display panel having the array substrate. More particularly, the present invention relates to an array substrate capable of improving display quality, and a display panel having the array substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatus includes an LCD panel to display an image using optical and electrical properties of liquid crystal, and a backlight assembly that is disposed below the LCD panel and provides the display panel with light.
The LCD apparatus further includes an upper polarizing plate disposed on the LCD panel and a lower polarizing plate disposed under the LCD panel. A polarizing axis of the upper polarizing plate is substantially perpendicular to that of the lower polarizing plate.
The LCD panel includes an array substrate, an opposing substrate and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the array substrate and the opposing substrate. The array substrate includes a plurality of thin-film transistors (TFT) and a plurality of pixel electrodes, and the opposing substrate includes a common electrode.
The pixel electrodes are arranged in a matrix configuration on the array substrate, and each of the pixel electrodes has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from a plan view. The common electrode is formed on the entire surface of the opposing substrate.
Examples of operating modes of the LCD panel include a twisted nematic (TN) mode, an in-plane switch (IPS) mode, and a vertical alignment (VA) mode. An LCD panel employing the VA mode has advantages, such as a relatively high response speed.
Furthermore, the VA mode having a plurality of domains, such as a patterned vertical alignment (PVA) mode, a multi-domain vertical alignment (MVA) mode, has been developed in order to improve viewing angle characteristics. An electric field is formed in each of the domains, and the electric field in a first domain has a direction different from a direction of the electric field in a second domain adjacent to the first domain. Thus, liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer are aligned in directions different from each other so that viewing angle characteristics are improved. For example, the liquid crystal molecules are aligned upward, downward, right and left to improve the viewing angle characteristics.
When the electric fields have directions different from each other, the electric fields affect each other in a boundary between the electric fields. Thus, the liquid crystal molecules in the electric field are hindered from being aligned in a direction of the electric field. Particularly, when the liquid crystal molecules are aligned in a direction that is substantially in parallel with the polarizing axis of the upper polarizing plate or the polarizing axis of the lower polarizing plate, a dark region is generated.